As a child, hearing the words “animal testing” made me imagine deep, red lipstick on a monkey—or even radiant shades of eyeshadow on a dog. Now that I’m much older, however, I’ve realized that the heavily debated topic goes way deeper than just putting makeup on animals.
Think about a few products you use on a day-to-day basis. Shampoo? Sunscreen? Perfume? While some people may not associate their favorite mascara with the suffering of animals, the bridge between common cosmetic products to animal cruelty remains prominent. Companies that produce these everyday items often use cruel methods to test the safety of their ingredients. This includes the force feeding of chemicals to rats in order to find the amount that causes death, or to observe its side effects—which actually also cause death. A lose-lose situation, really. Like that one Thanksgiving PETA ad said, “Imagine if you were the one being stuffed.” I think many people can agree on the fact that the entire existence of these animals should not be reduced to that of mere scientific tools.
On the other hand, animal testing refers to a broad range of scientific experimentation and isn’t all that bad, believe it or not. It’s the reason we get to attend school in-person again instead of logging onto a Zoom call and staring at the screen half-asleep. Thanks to subjects like mice, scientists were able to develop vaccines to counteract COVID-19 within a year of the disease’s emergence. All in record time! Animal research has greatly contributed to various lifesaving medical advancements such as anesthetics, cardiac pacemakers, blood transfusions—the list goes on. It’d be difficult for anyone to refuse the undeniable fact that human medicine would not be as developed without the use of animals.
But not to worry, the animals in medical research face stricter, more ethical lab regulations and better care with things like anesthesia and other methods of pain relief. Currently, efforts are being made to raise the standards for animal experimentation and find alternatives. In fact, the U.S. Federal Drug Administration is working to create and implement new, permanent policies to counter unnecessary animal testing. Artificial intelligence simulations and lab-grown organs are beginning to replace innocent animals in laboratory settings (the only use of AI I’d support).
This all brings us one step further to the eradication of inhumane cosmetic testing practices, which is slowly being banned on state levels throughout the country. As of 2024, twelve states, including our great home state of Virginia, have passed legislation to ban the practice with reasons based in the Humane Cosmetics Act. With more alternatives and a spreading awareness of immoral cosmetic testing procedures, we’re closing in on a future where no animal has to suffer for the sake of lipstick.
Overall, the ongoing discussions over animal testing is not about choosing between human health or animal rights, but instead a challenge to achieve both. Although it is evident that the use of animals has significantly contributed to modern medicine as we know it, it is important to recognize the unethical practices that have been used against innocent animals and create spaces that foster respect for all living creatures—even in the hands of science.
